The thing is, you never know what you’re going to get at an Erykah Badu concert.
When I saw her live in Detroit a few years ago, she was so late that the band started without her, performing three full songs (including “The Healer”!) with only backing vocals. Of course, she eventually made her way onto the stage – descending from heaven in a flowing dress, like a bohemian angel, at least in my memory – and began to hypnotize the entire arena with her divine presence and otherworldly vocals. Any irritation or animosity about her being late was almost immediately forgiven or forgotten.
Luckily, Badu was only 15 minutes late for her stop at the RBC Amphitheater in Toronto on Sunday (September 13). The legendary (and legendarily weird) Texas soul and R&B singer was in fine form for a 90-minute set that understandably leaned heavily on songs from her stellar new album with Alchemist. Before the world explodes. While it was exciting to hear Badu bring these songs to life on stage, even the most dedicated fans wanted a few more familiar memories.
A theater kid at heart, Badu—glamorous but reserved, wearing a pink headband and a baggy football jersey under an orange-patterned dress—opened the show sitting on a bed and calling the Alchemist on a landline—scruffy, unshaven, wearing a black hoodie and an ill-fitting Blue Jays cap. After some awkward banter, the duo launched into “Echos,” an expansive seven-and-a-half-minute opener. Before the world explodes.
The track is a perfect showcase of the chemistry between Badu and Alchemist: singing into the phone over a galloping, boom-bap beat, Badu delivers a riveting, laser-focused sermon, building to a fiery crescendo like a 23rd century priestess.
After a brief address to the audience (“Who wants one more drink before the world explodes?”), they continued to release new material, including the menacing Griselda-esque “I Just Play a Part” and the dreamy, ’90s-inspired “Crossfade.” On the psychedelic “Witch Doctor,” Badu pulled out some witchy-looking percussion instruments and stared at the audience as if trying to summon an ancient ghost.
The drama of the play was enhanced by the simple but unusual set, the center of which was a sort of cozy living room furnished with several large white sofas on which Badu and various members of her group could lounge. Behind Badu, in transparent cages, was her wonderful five-piece orchestra, including several percussionists. Up top, 15 feet from the stage, sat the Alchemist and four other DJs, illuminated by a massive LED screen.
The multi-generational audience was clearly mesmerized, especially when Badu let her voice soar. At 55, she remains one of our most captivating vocalists, her husky, textured voice deftly moving between lilting delivery and soulful singing that has long drawn comparisons to Billie Holiday.
At the same time, among the audience (many of whom, like me, had not listened to a repeat of the new record in a month), one could sense a growing desire to sing along. It was a cathartic moment when, after a nice mini-set from Alchemist, including some dull moments on the mic, Badu finally turned back the clock with a trio of ’90s neo-soul classics (“On & On,” “Love of My Life” and “Sometimes”). Smartphones quickly exploded as the audience began singing along to every word.
However, the break didn’t last long as Badu and co. quickly returned to the new album to finish the set. That’s not to say the final stretch wasn’t exciting – Badu’s rendition of “I Know That Man” was superb, solidifying the gospel-tinged track as a modern classic in real time (even without the evil Earl Sweatshirt verse that appears on the album).
Still, when the lights came up after “Black Box”—a jazzy track in which Badu reveals some of her well-documented frustrations with smartphones and social media (I wish her fixations were more interesting or politically relevant at this point, but alas)—you could sense an almost palpable disappointment among fans who were hoping to see her perform a few more hits that helped define the sound of a generation and influenced future generations, from Drake to SZA and beyond. Not “Paper”, not “Tyrone”, not “The Next Life”, not “Didn’t You Know”, not “Green Eyes”.
The elephant in the room here is that this is not an Erkja Badu show, but a co-show with Alchemist, a producer who is sure to limit what we’ll hear – he’s unlikely to perform, for example, “The Healer”, a Madlib-produced track. Plus, while the Alchemist is undoubtedly a brilliant and powerful individual, he has infinitely less aura than Badu; as one friend noted, it was a relief that he was barely used on the microphone. (Double billing may also explain why the show wasn’t completely sold out, despite the closed lawn and support from hip-hop legend De La Soul.)
Of course, we’re talking about Erykah Badu, and we love her precisely because she’s going to do exactly what she wants, the way she wants. And she’s not naive: Toward the end of her performance, she noted that next year marks the 30th anniversary of her debut album. Baduismand hinted that an anniversary tour might be in the works.
While it may not have been the set everyone wanted, it’s hard to complain when you have real greatness in front of you.